Me? Stubborn?
You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is set,
but that's okay since you are good at covering
up your mistakes.
What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
No comments from the peanut gallery, Brian.
Posted by Heather at 1:03 PM
Step 2 - Stop buying yarn for addiction
Pretty freaking funny, huh? I have Noro Kureyon in this colorway coming from
Knit Happens:
And Bullfrogs and Butterflies by Lorna's Laces in the Glenwood colorway.
I think I'm being kicked out of the 12 step program. Not like I was a willing participant anyway. The yarn should be here by Tuesday and it will make a nice diversion from the Clapotis, which I have been so addicted to. What IS it about that pattern? I just finished the increase section and should drop my first stitch soon. I used to be such a "product knitter/crocheter". Knitting or crocheting furiously in order to finish a project. Something has changed. I've noticed while knitting my last few projects, it was all about the knitting and finishing work. Interesting, huh?
On the kid front, all was relatively calm last night. The Princess is pouting because I'm making her try out for Marching Band. All of a sudden, she has hated band for 3 years. Uh huh. That kid has more mood swings than the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
Posted by Heather at 8:48 AM
Step 1 - Admit you have a problem
But you see, some are BAGS. Not purses. So there really isn't 10 purses. A couple of them I use to cart my knitting around in. Justification? Denial? Nooo...not me!
The love affair with Clapotis continues. Why am I so hooked on this? I totally love knitting this little rectangle. So much so, that I made more beaded stitch markers so she would be all prettied up while I worked on her (It bugged me that I had some plastic and some beaded on there. Yes, I'm a freak.). I have one more set of increases before I start the straight rows. This is moving fast!
Now, I'm going to say this as nicely as possible. Those of you that know me, know I love my children with all my heart and my family is the center of my world. But, my son is a dufus. I think I can finally say he pulled his stupidest stunt ever. Remember, my dear 30-something friends, back in the day when we could skip school and classes without fear of being busted? When schools weren't as sophisticated as they are now? No computer generated phone calls or letters if you missed Algebra? My son, in his latest determination to do whatever the hell he wants, decided to skip English and Science yesterday. What did he do for fun you ask? Sat in the bathroom. Sure beats my skipping days when we went to the beach. All so he can have his way. When he got the pass to go back to class, he told him that he had been at a doctor appointment. Yea. Like the school wasn't going to let me know about it when I didn't check him in. Can we say busted boys and girls?
I bet you didn't know there are only 3 1/2 weeks of school left and roughly 5 weeks until they go to Florida for the summer if the little darling doesn't wind up in summer school. If you care anything about my mental state, you will pray or light candles or whatever that he passes the 2 classes he might be failing. 3 1/2 weeks...26 days...624 hours...oh yea, I'm losing it already.
Posted by Heather at 9:10 AM
I am in love...again.
Who is the object of my new-found affection?
My little Clapotis. Isn't she pretty (No, that isn't a huge stitch marker it is a rock. Why a rock? Because it kept curling back on the circulars)? After much encouragement from my
enablers friends in my knitting group that I wouldn't be tossed from the group for using acrylic, I found the most beautiful yarn at CraftMart. TLC Baby in the Fizzy Print colorway.
This yarn is exactly what I wanted my Clapotis yarn to be. Extremely soft, drapey, not stiff (like the Bamboo and another TLC acrylic I tried), a hand-painted look and cheap. $15 bucks for the yarn. I live in the freaking desert, how often will I actually wear this? Not enough to spend $120 for the yarn the pattern calls for. Plus, with my tendency to be a total klutz, if I spent that much on the yarn, you could pretty much guarantee I'd ruin the thing the second time I wore it. Ask my poncho about that.
Met up with some of my friends from Stitch n' Bitch last night at Cupz. Sarah, Eva, Ashley, Alison, Mary (?) and Jude where there when I cast on her first stitches. I am so glad I went. I was desperate to get out of the house
to get far, far away from the teenagers for a bit of a break. We had so much fun! I love getting together with everyone. Pam, Melanie and Illana...I missed ya'll!
Yesterday I was chosen to be a test orderer for the online site of
Wendy's hangout,
Knit Happens. What did I buy? Oh...some Noro Kuryeon and some Lorna's Laces to make 2 new purses. Err, I mean bags. Stay tuned tomorrow when I take the first step in the Felted Bags Anonymous program and post pictures of all the bags I've made in the last year. This could be tough.
Posted by Heather at 8:43 AM
A Knitting Funk
Ever been in a knitting funk? Well, I am. Can't think of anything I really want to make, yarn isn't inspiring me (try to to be alarmed, I am) and I'm blah about it all. But I WANT to knit. I'm bummed that I can't find the PERFECT yarn for Clapotis. I'm not spending $100 for a scarf, so there goes the yarn it calls for and some suggested substitutes. I washed the baby sweater the other night and fell even more in love with the yarn. It is even softer! Would I be kicked out of all knitting circles if I knit the clap with that? Hmmm...$6 or $100 for a scarf I'll wear about 2 months out of the year. Drawback? Not hand dyed like I really wanted. I love the random look of hand dyed yarn. What to do?
Did you know that there are approximately 4 weeks of school left? That teenagers completely forget how to behave when they have summer on the brain? Someone please explain the following:
1 - How, after 2 years, have we forgotten that we have a bedtime of 9pm (yes, it is early but you try getting them out of bed at 6)? Why is this an issue EVERY FREAKING NIGHT?
2 - Why can't we be civil to each other? If you poured the glass of milk for your brother (because it is your job at dinner), can't you bring it to the table? Why must we have a fight over putting napkins on the table? I know, I just should stop feeding the little
monsters darlings.
3 - If I say, "no computer until you practice the flute", why are you suprised when I ground you from said computer because you didn't practice the flute before you got on the computer?
4 - If you don't like the way your sister looks at you, then don't look at her!! (same goes for breathing, walking, talking, living...you get the picture)
Did I mention that they leave for the summer in about 5 weeks? Did I mention I'm losing my mind?
Posted by Heather at 9:57 AM
Baby Sweater
I finally took the plunge and seamed up the baby sweater. I've never hand-knit a sweater before, so I was a tad apprehensive. It wasn't as hard as I was making it out to be and picking up stitches along the neck and button band wasn't too tough, either.
A little stitch detail.
The pattern is from Sweet Layettes to Knit by Leisure Arts and I used TLC Baby. I really loved knitting this little sweater. The cuteness of it is just too much. The pattern was easy to remember, it wasn't too tough to knit and the yarn is very soft. I can't wait to send this to my friend, Melissa. I'm going to make a hat, booties and crochet an afghan to go with it. Let's hope I'm still in love after all that.
It is hard to believe, but I don't have any other projects on the needles or hook. I'm waiting for a picture of my SWTC sweater so I know how to put in the zipper, but that's it. I knit about an inch of the Broadripple Socks before Brian said he really didn't like them. I really didn't, either. Knit about 3 inches of the Snowdrop Shawl before I realized that I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to knitting lace. Frankly, it sucked. I want to make the shawl so badly, but I think it is WAY out of my skill range. So, to the frog pond it went. My current fixation is finding the perfect yarn for Clapotis. Maybe this weekend I can come up with something. I've been accepted as a tester for the
Knit Happens online store. We have to order on Tuesday, so I might wait until then.
My hubby thinks my little personality test was dead on. Bah. That will teach me to show him my blog. He is off to PIR this weekend for NASCAR. Ha! I wonder what kind of personality test he would fail after hanging out there all weekend.
Posted by Heather at 7:42 AM
I hardly know what to say
Should I be worried?
You May Be a Bit Histrionic ... |
Dramatic and over the top, you crave attention.
And you'll do anything it takes to get noticed.
You love to be seductive, even when it's inappropriate.
If you're ignored, you're easily hurt ... and act out even more! |
Posted by Heather at 11:37 AM
This is not a purse
This is not another purse. It is a pre-felted bag. Just so we are clear.
I don't want anyone thinking I'm addicted to making these things or anything. And that yarn I bought today? A BAG. Not a purse. No addiction worries.
For the past 3 years, I've been collecting handmade items from people all over the valley and distributing them to various shelters and programs. I haven't been able to get down to Mexico for awhile with donations from the last 6 months. Today I ran down to Tucson to meet the coordinator for our program in Mexico to drop off some other items and was able to finally get this stuff on its way to keeping the people in the barrios warm. Here is Stephanie with the load that went down.
The barrios are more horrible than I could ever imagine.
I work for a charitable foundation. We build orphanages, homes and fund food distributions in the border towns. It is very cold down there in the evenings, so I'm hoping some of these items will be put to good use.
Met up with Pam, Melanie, Eva, Ashley and Jude on Tuesday at Cupz. I had so much fun! I really love meeting up with everyone. My break from kids, work and responsibilities. Gotta love it! What is next for my needles?
Broadripple Socks from Knitty, finish seaming the baby sweater and Sapphire (still waiting on a picture of the final piece from SWTC).
I want to thank everyone for their supportive comments and emails from my Mom post. I was having such a hard day. It will get better, right?
Posted by Heather at 6:53 PM
Sapphire
Is it really Sunday night? Is it time to back to work already? Ugh. Been a nice weekend. I got all my chores done Friday so I could knit and crochet guilt free all weekend. And I did! I can't believe how much I got done. First, my crochet test piece for SWTC, a sweater jacket I'm fondly calling Sapphire because of her beautiful colors. Colors that don't show up well in these pictures. Here are all the pieces lying on a sheet in my living room.
A bit closer of the sleeves.
See the little balls of yarn in the middle? That is all I have left of 2 of the yarns in the pattern. Close, huh? This is going to be a gorgeous, if not heavy, sweater. It is really soft and feels good against the skin. It wasn't a tough piece to crochet, but it wasn't a no-brainer either. The instructions are well-written but I would have added more stitch counts in the shaping sections. I love all of the yarn used in the pattern, but the knots in the skeins about drove me out of my mind. Would I make this for myself? Definitely. I still have to put it all together and figure out how to put the zipper in.
Next for this weekends projects...remember the pink bag from Thursday? Here she is all felted.
Isn't that the cutest? Of course, I've already started another. A
Sophie Bag in lime green.
I tried casting on Saturday for the
Snowdrop Shawl from the Yarn Harlot. Addi Turbos are not a good choice. So, off I run to CraftMart for some bamboo circulars. Which they do not have. But, Fiber Factory did along with some sock yarn that somehow jumped into my bag. $40 knitting needles. See why I need a chaperone when I go to the yarn store?
I'll cast on for a pair of socks this week.
Illana is knitting socks on 2 circulars. I've wanted to learn for a long time and just couldn't understand it from a web site. She has offered to lend me her book. I bet they will be so much faster!
Hmmm...I think I might need another trip to Fiber Factory for circulars.
Posted by Heather at 9:26 PM
Being a mom is hard
Sometimes I read my friend's blogs or talk to my friends that have little kids and wish to have those days back. Teenagers are so hard. I seem to annoy my daughter by breathing. I ruined her life over the winter because I wouldn't let her wear flip-flops when it was 29 degrees out. Her mood swings could give you whiplash. My son has had me crying every day this week. He is going through a hard time, this first year of high school. He is realizing he isn't a kid anymore and life's responsibilities are more than just choosing which video game to play. He has been disappointed and had his dreams crushed a bit. It has been a hard year and he isn't handling it well these days. Watching has been gut-wrenching. I wish he were a little boy again so I could let him crawl in my lap...so I could be the one to make everything ok. But, kids grow up and things change. And right now, that sucks.
She is 13, he is 15. I did the single mom thing for 5 years...my children are my life. Sometimes, I catch myself wondering where time has gone. Realizing that in just over 3 years, he will being leaving home to go to college. I can't bear it. How do other mom's do it? Watch their "babies" leave the nest?
My kids would hate that I'm telling anyone this, but they still want to be tucked in every night (ok, maybe not the nights when they hate me for said flip-flop incident or something similarly stupid), they still call me Mommy and cry when I've had to go out of town for too long. So, what do I do for now? I knit and crochet. Everyone who really knows me, knows I am a spaz. I cannot sit still, my brain never stops going. Knitting and crocheting soothes my soul, quiets my brain. I imagine in the next 5 years, I'll be knitting a lot. Someday, I'll look back at my projects and remember what we were going through when I made it. That bag? Knit the night he didn't make the baseball team and cried the whole way home. Those socks? Her 6th grade band concert when she sat next to the boy she was sooo in love with. That sweater? The night I wait for her to come home from her first date..or his.
Yea...being a mom is hard, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Posted by Heather at 9:09 AM
Party Girl
What a difference a day makes. Feeling much better today. Was supposed to go the the Alter Bridge concert last night, but felt so bad I bailed. Imagine that. The last concert I went to before Buffett was the Backstreet Boys with the kids (yes, I know, what the hell was I thinking?!? And yes, it was as horrible as you are thinking) and I get tickets for 2 in one week. Such a party girl I am!
Instead of partying with Brian (my hubby) and my awesome sister-in-law, Pat, I worked on my newest purse. Because we all know I never have enough purses.
All I have left to do is the mindless i-cord. Boring. I love this purse pattern. Very well written and the details make for a sturdy purse.
So it doesn't feel neglected, here are a few pictures of the SWTC jacket. I've only frogged the whole thing 3 times.
I love the colors and the feel of the fabric being created by holding the 3 different yarns together. But, it is pretty thick.
Want a good laugh to start your day? Go read
Marcia's blog. She is just so funny. The troll thing about killed me.
Posted by Heather at 9:06 AM
Wishing I were in Margaritaville
Nope, didn't disappear. You know how it goes...life, work, kids, stomach flu. Before you know it, 3 days have passed. Last night we headed up to the Jimmy Buffett concert - my first. What fun! Wow, never seen that many drunk people in one place at one time! And I think I'm just coming down off my contact high. Whoa... I'm telling you, it was a 3 hour party with awesome music! I will definitely be going to another one. Jimmy can party. However, my stomach did not appreciate being taken out in public so soon, so I'm home today. Knitting and napping...the perfect cure for anything.
I've finally started my little sweater jacket for
South West Trading Company. It is really funky and I love the way the colors are coming out. Getting gauge was a total pain. I had to order
Crystalite hooks because I couldn't find any locally in the size I needed. I give up on trying to get hooks and needles at Michaels. They never have what I need. If I need needles, Fiber Factory is the best. For crochet hooks, CraftMart is usually pretty good.
I'm going to go recover from my party hangover...err...ummm...stomach flu. It's all Jimmy's fault.
Posted by Heather at 9:08 AM
It's official
I'm an embarassment to my teenagers. After spending most of the day yesterday quite ill with some stomach thing, this morning we all decided to go to our favorite breakfast place, The Good Egg. Sundays are a bit crazy there and there is always a wait. So, I stuck the newest purse I'm working on into my purse so I wouldn't lose my mind waiting. Hubby read the paper, I pulled my knitting out of my bag to the horror of my children. "Moooommmmm....", they wailed. I ignored them and settled in to wait. They went for a walk. We were seated on the patio, the sun was shining and I finally felt human again. Ordering food on a Sunday morning can take awhile, so I pulled it out again. Again the wailing. You would think I was washing my freaking underwear in the water pitcher. So, a conversation began between my two darling teenagers about what an embarassment I am when I take knitting everywhere. It was quite amusing. They weren't accepting our arguements that no one around could care less, and if they did, I didn't care. Nor that knitting or crochet is an art form and my way of relaxing. Too bad, I knit on.
Since I was ignoring how I was ruining their very lives, I made great progress on the purse. I did put it away to eat, I mean I guess I can't embarass them all the time. Darn.
Posted by Heather at 3:05 PM
I'm hopeless
Someone please tell me why, with 5 rubbermaid boxes nearly full of yarn, did I feel the overwhelming need to buy 3 skeins of yarn to make 2 MORE purses with? It is an illness with no cure, I swear. But I so love felting purses! I bought light pink and hot pink Nature Spun to knit another
Fiber Trends Sheep Tote (minus the sheep - I am far too klutzy to have any business messing with felting needles) and some in lime green to make another
Sophie Bag. I also want to use up all my leftover scraps to make this really funky bag out of Folk Bags.
I met up with Pam, Melanie, Sarah and Crystal tonight at Pita Jungle for a bite to eat and to knit afterward at Coffee Rush. I love hanging out with them, it is so much fun. Before I knew it, it was 10 and I needed to get home.
Off to bed with me...hopefully I won't dream about finishing the baby sweater tonight!
Posted by Heather at 10:41 PM
A wee little sleeve
I am just so in love with this little baby sweater. I knit a bunch, look at it and go "awww...". I love the pattern and the fact I'm knitting something totally different for me. Add to that that it is little and cute, and I'm sucked in.
I worry about setting in the sleeves, since I have never done that before. Should be interesting. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend. I also swatched for Clapotis last night. I had to go up a needle size since the Bamboo yarn is a DK weight and the pattern calls for worsted. Bamboo is a little scratchy, but I liked it after I washed it. I'm using the Tequilla colorway and I love it!
I need to drop off the Diva shawl today and I might try and pick up some yarn for either a
Kitty Bed or a
Sophie Bag. I love making felted things, purses especially.
Posted by Heather at 8:44 AM
Finished!
With the help of my daughter, Stephanie, I finished my second test knit for
SWTC. She helped out with the fringe and offered to model for me (way too much America's Next Top Model watching going on in this house).
It is made out of Diva in the Alluring colorway. Easy to knit with, didn't slide around the needles like the Fur Real one I did. It is really warm and soft, but I'm not sure I like the color. It is black with white "squiggles" but looks greenish in certain light. I love how the fringe looks, though.
Ok, I am obviously a doofus. Why, when I get the SnB Evites do I assume it is that night? I thought knitting was on Tuesday, when it is actually tonight. Why am I a doofus? Because this is the second time I've done this. Right Alison?
I think I'll cast on for Clapotis tonight. Might as well start a scarf when it is 95 degrees out!
Posted by Heather at 7:09 PM
It's a knitty thing
Perfect timing! Today is going to be a rough one. My boss is leaving for an overseas trip and things are nuts trying to get everything all ready for him to be gone. I also feel like crap, so I really needed a pick-me-up. Since I can't go yarn shopping, I was wondering how I would get in my fix. Just in time to rescue me from a horrible day, the new
Knitty is up! Some really adorable patterns, a few strange ones. But, is it me or are all these patterns for size 2 people? Oh wait, not the purse.
Have fun, knit on.
Posted by Heather at 10:21 AM
Walking this way
I've been walking 3-4 times a week to get ready for the
Breast Cancer 3-day Walk in October. I joined a few friends from my Stitch 'n Bitch group on a team. I'm pretty excited, but I'm really nervous, too. The fundraising has been easier than I thought. I have just over $500 more to raise. Not bad considering we are still more than 6 months out. It is the training and the walk that has me nervous. Fitting in all the training time worries me and well, 60 miles in 3 days is nothing to sneeze at. I've been walking for a month now and have had to wear a sweatshirt and pants. This morning I noticed it wasn't quite as chilly as it has been. It is coming...there is no getting away from it. Summer in Arizona. We really do have
egg frying contests here. Did I mention I hate summer here?
Yesterday I had all kinds of car problems, so I worked from home. Didn't leave me much knitting time, and what time I did have in the evening kept getting interrupted. But, I finished the left side of the baby sweater and half a sleeve. I was hoping to get the fringe done, but maybe tomorrow. Tonight we have to help my husband's crochety aunt move.
Off to the paying job...I'm bummed I won't make it to knitting tonight!
Posted by Heather at 7:16 AM
Baby knitting and crochet
I love spring. Truly my favorite time of year, right before the ovens are turned on here in Arizona and I become a miserable shrew. I hate summer here. Right now the weather is just so beautiful that I love being outside.
Seems as though I'm reading blogs about lots of spring babies being born or showers being held. And we know what that means! Knitting and crocheting for babies! I love making baby things. They are quick, adorable and moms-to-be love handmade gifts.
Pam just made the most adorable lion bath wrap. It is so cute that I want one in my size! I've finished one front on my baby sweater and am working on the back.
Had to take the pic on the grass, the flash inside was annoying.
Here is a closeup of the stitch detail.
Cute, no? I really love making this little sweater. The pattern was easy, but a challenge to me because I haven't made anything past simple stockinette or garter stitch. Not bad, huh? It is a gift for my dear friend Melissa who, after 10 years of trying, is pregnant with her first child. To say her family is excited is an understatement.
Yea, I know you are asking, "but where are the pictures of the gorgeous shawl?". While the knitting is finished, I need to attach 120+ pieces of fringe. What fun.
Posted by Heather at 11:58 AM
Camping is not for the faint of heart
We survived. Barely. What a weekend! Let's see if we can remember all the things that went horribly wrong. Tent zipper broke which led to one windy, freezing night followed by a nice calm night where we were eaten alive by bugs. The camp stove would not boil water until the children were eating their own arms in hunger, my car got a flat and my 15-year-old-who-knows-everything got lost for what is now the worst 2 1/2 hours of my life. Seems as soon as I took a nap (in an attempt to recover from being a brain dead zombie because of lack of sleep from said freezing night), he decided to follow the quad riders to go get wood - on his bike. Never saw them turn off and proceeded to ride 10 miles from camp. I still start crying when I think about all of us riding all over trying to find him, which thank God, we did.
Other than all of that drama, it was a really wonderful weekend. There were about 20 of us out there and we just all have so much fun together. The poncho that would never end, ended. I finished it while sitting by the campfire on the first night. I worked a bit on the baby sweater and just have the back and sleeves to go. It is really turning out pretty. I'll post pictures for both tomorrow.
I've had enough excitement for about 5 years. I think I'll go work.
Posted by Heather at 9:25 AM
2 in a row?!?
Try not to faint. I'm blogging twice in less than a 24 hour period. I doubt anyone is reading yet, but someday, someone will and they will be amazed at my tenacity. Today has just be nuts. Could someone explain the need for my boss to have accounts at 3 different banks in Scottsdale where the traffic sucks due to people having nothing more to do than go to lunch and shop? Can you hear my screaming?
We are off this weekend to go camping near the Verde River. I need this weekend desperately. I will be lazy, sit around a camp fire laughing with friends and my kids and knit obsessively. And drink hot chocolate with kahlua. Bliss I tell you, bliss. No phones, no computers, no insane cats trying to kill each other. I may never come back. Well, I guess I better since there are no showers and within a few days the fumes will send me running for home.
Since this IS a knitting and crochet blog, I guess I'll leave you with some pictures of my past work.
My first doily with size 20 thread.
Size 10 thread, not too thrilled with the last row.
Queen sized afghan. One month after winning first place and putting it on my bed, the cat (which somehow is still alive) chewed a hole in it. It now graces a box in my closet.
Have a fabulous weekend!
Posted by Heather at 2:21 PM
